Air lock for pneumatic caissons



3 Sheets-Sheet C. L. POWELL Filed Oct. 5, 1931 ATTORNEYS' AIR LOCK FOR PNEUMATIC CAISSONS July 4, 1933 July 4, 1933. c. l.. POWELL AIR LOCK FOR PNEUMATIC CAISSONS Filed Oct. 3, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet ATTORN EY S July 4, 1933.

c. 1 POWELL l}9l6,684

AIR LOCK FOR PNEUMATIC CAISSONS I Filed Oct. 3, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,l V l NVENTOR ATTQRNEYS Patented July 4, '1933 UNITED 'STAT-Es PATENT;orricEj CHARLES L. rowELL, or NEW YORK, N. Y., nssIGNoR To 'CAISSON-CoNTmLc'rne4 COMPANY, or'NnwyoRmN. Y., n CORPORATION or nmznwniany l AIR Loox` FORPNEUMATIC oAIssoNs f Application. tiled 0etober 3,.1931. lSerialuN'o. 56 6,59,7.

This invention pertains to an improved air lock for use on a pneumatic caisson.

There are two kinds of air locks in common use, known as the side door and top doorv locks, respectively. y The top door typeis used generallyvfor large work wherela derrick or crane is yavailable for handling the muck bucket.

The side door type is customary orsmall jobs where there is no crane, since a very 1 v` small hoist can be used.

Both the above types of lock have serious drawbacks in service. An engineer is re- Vquiredto operate the holst or crane, which 1s a yserious item in thecost of operation, es y Y `lbut with the bucket in dumping position.

pecially when thev threeshift plan is in use. The sand hog who. fills the muck-bucket 'must signal for the raising or lowering of vthe bucket by tapping on the sideof the-caisson. The lock tender on the outsidey of the lock receives the signals and transmits them tothe engineer. This procedureusually slows up operations and may be dangerous if'the signals are not relayed prompty or if they are misunderstood. Another drawback is the f leakage of air through the stufling box around the hoisting-cable. Y Y In additionto the above, there are other disadvantages which apply particularly to ythe sidedoor lock after the excavation has been -iinished and the concrete lock is put in vplace to supply concrete tothe excavation.

During that operation a manfmust stand inside the lock to operate the bottom Vdoor of the concrete lock. That is a dangerous situation since the lower air lock door is always open at that time and after the concrete has been placed in the concrete lock andthe pres- 'sure equalized',` thelower door of the con- .crete lock bangs open andthe man in the lock vis liable to be hurt if he is not very careful. The fact that the man operatingthe door works under air pressure adds greatly tothe lexpense of operation since the rate offpay of air workers is higher than that of men-outside the caisson.

When the concretelock is in place there is no ypower means for raising or lowering a 1 A v son. Sheav'e 50 is supported for rot-ation on 100 man for inspection of the concrete, even the vinto the upperk end ofi-the caisson by concrete `bulkhead14 or-,otherwise is the lower tubular Avsection 16 of the air lock. Fitted Vontop of -asectionl is another `sectionlS, enlarged at its upper end to accommodate the -lowerair 'platform22l f 1 v Secured above section `18 is the (':hamber 24, jhaving a lower head 26 uponwhich is ladderbeing removed 'before `concretingbis eratiye positionl vwhilethe excavating operation 1sV going on, .the bucket being at thefbotftom of the-hole.V

Fig.V 2 is a viewsomewhatsimilar to Fig. 3

'Figs. 3, 4 rand 5 show three stagesfofv the concretingoperation..

' Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional View Online Fig. 7 isa view'on iline'7f-7otFigf6 y' Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 is the cais-v son being sunk into the ground 12. Sealed lock door 2O when it is'openjas in F ig. 1. Supported byisection y 18 .is an operators hinged thedoor 2O adapted to open or fclose vide asideqeXit from the chamberto vthe atmosphere'. s

Mountedn la compartment at one lside of chamber 24y and communicatingtherewith so as to be 'in effect within `the chamber sons far as-air conditions areconcernedyis a'hoist-'' yingfdevice 44 having a drum 46-upon which maybe Wound a cable 48 yextending over. sheave 50- tosupport bucket 52 in the cai's# Fig. lshowsfthe improved'airlock in op- 5 'open1ng28, and havingl an vupper rhead() s" Va bracket 54 hinged at 56l and 58 on the wall of chamber 24 so that the bracket may be swung out of the road during the concreting operation. Y l

The hoisting drum 46 may be operated by air, water, electricity or in any other desired manner. Itis shown (Figs. 6 and 7) as b'eing electrically driven by means Vof motor Vexcavating operation.

manl atthe bottom of the caisson to raise or lower the' bucketv at will; or to hold it at ,any desired point by simply stopping the motor the worm drive being irreversible).

" Above the hoisting device, across'chamber 24is a'partition 80 which supports a hopper 82 for'use inthe concreting operation,

f as will appear.

A man locky 84 may be placed von top of the air lock above door32,`it desired. This willy permit decompressing ra sand hog without interfering with the mucking or With the above structure in mind the lmuckingwoperation will be readily understood. Vhen the sandhog has illed the bucket he pushes the proper button in switch 76 to start themotor to hoist'the bucket. Finger 72 actuates lever 7 4to stop'thebucket "opposite door 40, whereupon the outside man closes door 20, draws the bucket outof door r40 sutlicientlv to dump it into truck 86.'- The outside man, by means of auxiliary motor vcontrol switch 94 in parallel with switch 76 can controlthe bucket during the dumping operation.l After the bucket isr dumped itis replaced in the air lock hanging on cable v48, door 40 is closed, door 20 is opened, and

' the bucket is again lowered to the bottom of thel'caisson under control ofthe sand hog, and the operation is repeated. The air pressurein 'air lock and caisson is controlled in well known manner by apparatus not shown.

Afterl the excavation is completed and the caisson lowered to proper d-epth, the air lock isused as'described below in performing the concreting operation.

i Bucket 52 is removed, bracket 54 is swung` to one side as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. v6, cable 78 and switch 76 are hung out 'lof the way behind door v20, man lock 84 is replaced by a-hopper 88, and chute 90 .is inserted to hangfromhopper 82 with its lower Tend in-opening 28. Then with 'door 20 closed and door 32 open, plastic concrete is dumpedl from bucket92 through hopper-88 to lill `chute r90. (Fig. .3). Door 32 is then closed and door 20 opened to permit the contents of chute 90 to fall into the caisson. Then door' 20 is closed and door 32 opened and the operation is repeated until the caisson is filled.

If it be desired to inspect the concrete in theV caisson at any time, chute 90 is removed,

bracket 54 is swung toV hoisting position, buck-et 52 is hung on cable 48 and the inspector may be lowered and raised by means of switch .9 4, or by switch 76 .which vhe can reach through opening 28 and which he can carry with him down into the caisson.

It is to be understood lthat the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and'described, but may be used in other `ways without departure from its lspirit as deiined by theffollowing claims. ,f v l. An'air lock having abucket hoistingv device therein and adapted'to` be placed on top of a caisson, in combination with manually operable means in the'caisson for controlling said hoisting device. y

2. An air lock having a'bucket hoisting device therein and adapted to be placed on top of a caisson, in combination with means mani ually .operable at the bottom of said caisson,

regardless of the depth thereof, for controlling said hoisting device.`

3. An air lock having a motor driven bucket hoisting device therein and adapted to be.

placed on `top of a caisson, in combination with a control switch suspended in said caisson whereby the operator at the bottom of the caisson may control said hoisting device.

' `4. An air lock adapted to be placed on tcp of a caisson and havinga chamber with a lower door, 1n combination Ywith a hoisting device entirely in said chamber, a cable controlled by said device, a bucket on` said cable, said hoisting device being adapted to raise or@105 vlower `said bucket from or into the caisson through said lower door of said chamber'and manually operable means in the caisson for controlling Vrsaid hoisting device.

5. An air lock adapted to be lplaced on top no of a caisson and having a chamber with 'a lower door, in combination with a hoisting device in said chamber, a cablec'ontrolledzby said device, and meansin the caisson below said'door :tor controlling the operation' of', '115 ber through which said bucket lmay be vice entirely in said chamber, a cablelconf trolled bysaid device, and a bucket onsaid cable, a sheave for said cable, andmeans for supporting said sheavefin saidfvchamber to guide said cable and bucket through said lower door, said supporting means' being adjustable in position whereby said sheave and cable may be moved oui'l 'of alignment with said lower door.

8. An air lock adapted to be placed on top of a caisson and having a chamber with upper and lower doors, a concrete chute supported in said chamber with its lower end close above the closed position of said lower door, in combination with means for filling naturet CHARLES L. POWELL.

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